In a moment of impulse, I forcibly kissed my brother's best friend.

At the banquet, glasses clinked and toasts were exchanged.

Li Zhige sat in the main seat, chugging one glass of wine after another. He drank quickly, as if he weren't savoring the wine, but rather completing a task.

His gaze would occasionally and discreetly sweep in a certain direction—where Xie Yige was sitting, talking to Xie Wanrou with her head down, her profile soft and beautiful under the light.

He downed another glass.

"Brother, drink slowly," Li Zhiwei advised from the side.

"It's alright." Li Zhige waved his hand and poured himself another full cup. He tilted his head back and drank it all, then slumped onto the table, no longer moving.

"Brother?" Li Zhiwei nudged his shoulder, but there was no response. She sighed and said to the maid beside her, "My brother is drunk. Help him to the warm pavilion to rest."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Zhixuan stood up and gave him a brotherly smile: "Let me help my cousin over there."

Li Zhiwei glanced at him but did not stop him.

Li Zhixuan helped the "completely drunk" Li Zhige towards the warm pavilion. Once inside, he placed Li Zhige on the bed and turned to leave when suddenly, he was struck hard on the back of the neck. His vision went black, and he collapsed limply to the ground.

Li Zhige withdrew his hand, his eyes clear, showing no trace of drunkenness. He looked down at Li Zhixuan lying on the ground, expressionlessly dragged him onto the bed, positioned him, and then took off his outer robe, draping it over the back of the chair beside the bed.

After doing all this, he turned and left the warm pavilion.

At the banquet, Lin Zhiyin was slowly sipping a cup of fruit tea.

The tea seemed a bit sweeter than usual fruit tea, but she didn't pay it any mind. She sipped her tea while keeping an eye on her surroundings.

At this moment, a maid quietly walked up behind her and whispered, "Madam Lin, the master said we can go now, everything is ready."

Lin Zhiyin was overjoyed. She put down her teacup, glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention to her, then got up and quietly left the flower hall with the maid.

Along the way, she only felt that her steps were a little unsteady, but she thought it was because she had drunk a few too many drinks earlier and did not think much of it.

When she arrived at the entrance of the warm pavilion, she pushed open the door and looked inside. There was a man lying on the bed, wearing Li Zhige's clothes, with the collar loosely open, revealing a patch of skin on his chest.

Lin Zhiyin smiled smugly.

She glanced back to make sure no one was following her, then slipped inside and closed the door behind her. As she went, she loosened her clothes, her outer garment, skirt, and undergarments falling to the floor one by one. She climbed onto the bed, and as soon as she lay down next to the man, she fell into a deep sleep.

The timing is perfect.

Li Zhiwei led several noble ladies, under the pretext of "going to see a newly blooming rare peony," through the corridor, and happened to pass by the courtyard where the warm pavilion was located.

"That peony is a new variety that was presented as tribute this year. It is said that the color of its flowers is extremely rare, and there are only three of them in the entire city of Chang'an," Li Zhiwei introduced as they walked. The noble ladies listened with great interest and asked one after another what color the peony was and how big it was.

Just as they were about to cross the courtyard, a gasp suddenly came from one of the side rooms.

"ah--"

The sound was sharp and short, as if someone had been frightened by something. The noble ladies exchanged glances, and Li Zhiwei frowned before heading towards the private room.

"What's wrong?" She pushed open the door, her voice abruptly stopping.

Several noble ladies curiously stepped forward, and after seeing the scene inside, they all gasped in shock.

There were two people lying on the bed—Li Zhixuan and Lin Zhiyin.

The two were disheveled and in disarray. Lin Zhiyin's outer garment was casually draped over the footstool beside the bed, her undergarments scattered along the edge of the bed, while Li Zhixuan's robe was open, his belt hanging loosely over the edge of the bed. Lin Zhiyin's shoes and socks were also lying on the floor, stretching from the doorway to the bedside.

The screams attracted even more people. The noble ladies in the main hall rushed over, crowding the entrance to the side room. After seeing what was happening inside, some covered their mouths, some turned their heads away, and some gasped in surprise.

Lin Zhiyin was awakened by the noise. She opened her eyes and saw that the room was full of people. When she saw that the person lying next to her was Li Zhixuan, her face turned pale instantly.

"What...what happened?" She sat up abruptly, grabbed the blanket to cover herself, her voice trembling, "How...how did I get here?"

Li Zhiwei stood at the door, her face icy: "Madam Lin, you were lying with Li Zhixuan in a side room of my general's mansion. I should be asking you that."

"I...I was framed!" Lin Zhiyin's voice became shrill, tinged with hysteria. "I was drugged! I don't know anything! Someone must have drugged me!"

"Oh?" Li Zhiwei raised an eyebrow. "You said you were drugged?"

"Yes! Someone must have tampered with the drink!" Lin Zhiyin cried out, her voice rising as if grasping at a straw. "I've been framed! I'm an innocent person, how could I do such a thing? Someone must have set me up!"

Li Zhiwei didn't reply. She turned around slowly and instructed the maid behind her, "Go and fetch Doctor Zhao."

She then turned to the noble ladies gathered at the door, her voice calm and clear: "Since Madam Lin says she has been drugged, then let the doctor examine her pulse in person. If that is indeed the case, my General's Mansion will certainly give Madam Lin an explanation."

Lin Zhiyin's expression changed.

Before long, an elderly doctor with gray hair and beard was invited over. He bowed to Li Zhiwei, then walked to the bedside and gestured for Lin Zhiyin to extend her wrist.

Lin Zhiyin stood there, frozen, refusing to reach out.

"Madam Lin?" Li Zhiwei's voice carried a hint of amusement. "What's wrong? Afraid to let the doctor take your pulse?"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Lin Zhiyin had no choice. She slowly extended her wrist, her fingertips trembling slightly.

Doctor Zhao placed three fingers on her pulse point, concentrated for a moment, and his brow twitched slightly. He then switched to his other hand, examined her pulse again, and then withdrew his hand and stood up.

"How is it?" Li Zhiwei asked.

Doctor Zhao bowed and replied, "Reporting to Madam Li, Madam Lin's pulse is smooth and rapid, like pearls rolling on a plate—she is already two months pregnant."

The room erupted in uproar.

The noble ladies present were all greatly shocked, their gazes towards Lin Zhiyin filled with disdain and astonishment. Some whispered among themselves, some covered half their faces with fans, and some quietly took two steps back, as if Lin Zhiyin carried some kind of contagious disease.

"Oh my god, pregnant out of wedlock..."

"And it's with Li Zhixuan...isn't that her fiancé's cousin?"

"This is utterly shameless."

Lin Zhiyin's face was ashen. She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.

Li Zhiwei looked at her coldly, her voice not loud, but each word clear: "Lin Zhiyin and Li Zhixuan have been having an affair and are pregnant. All of you sisters have witnessed this today. The marriage between my Zhenguo General's Mansion and the Lin family is hereby called off."